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墨書 Inktalez
The vast expanse of Sago Palms intertwined and spread out, mixed with Cycads and camphor trees. The lush greenery left everyone momentarily stunned, while a refreshing breeze swept through, only to quickly vanish after brushing against their sleeves. The forest was occasionally filled with the calls of monkeys, interspersed with the cheerful chirping of birds, as if they were competing with each other, their sounds rising and falling in a lively rhythm. However, the beauty of the scenery captivated everyone, allowing them to appreciate the animal calls instead.
In fact, they had experienced numerous attacks from modified monkeys in the past. Often, they would hear the monkeys' cries and flee in panic. But after enduring so many attacks, they had learned to analyze the animals' calls to determine whether they posed a threat to the players. It turned out that their assessments were correct.
Initially, when they discovered this pattern, they thought it was a flaw in the game. It wasn't until later that they realized it was a deliberate hint from the game—only those who were observant and had accumulated enough experience could glean useful information from it.
A game that paid attention to details, one that was riddled with traps yet also offered opportunities for survival; by the time they reached the sixtieth level, Love Forest, everyone began to understand the greatness of this game. Unfortunately, behind this greatness lay the blood of fallen designers and players. Xu Nuan knew even more; there were others who had also become victims of this game, now existing as zombies within it.
"This level seems much more normal," Deng Yinyin remarked casually. Dressed in a bright pink Tactical Jacket, she stretched lazily while craning her neck to take in the surroundings. Towering trees, low shrubs, cascading waterfalls, and massive cliffs—all these sights helped them emerge from the shadow of the previous level known as Furious Volcano.
Aside from Gu Ze, Xu Nuan, and Chi Xiaoming, who understood why Special Trees and Supply Stations appeared, everyone else felt an overwhelming sense of relief as they left the lonely desert level behind and quickly entered the Furious Volcano. For humans, even without large traps set up in such dangerous areas as volcanoes, the "human disasters" there were enough to keep everyone on their toes without any time to think about anything else. Moreover, since Qin Yaojie’s death, no one had been there to dismantle traps for them. This time in the volcano brought numerous crises that forced everyone to make choices; no one knew what thoughts crossed their minds before each trap, and this uncertainty further intensified their trust issues.
Standing beside Gu Ze, Xu Nuan tried to maintain her composure. Love Forest was not far from the Forest of Hatred. As the progress of Survival Game reached seventy percent, she would soon face a brutal confrontation. Only by preparing herself mentally for that day could she hope to remain calm.
Unlike Deng Yinyin's tranquility, Xu Nuan felt far less at ease. She grasped Gu Ze's sleeve tightly and quickly scanned Deng Yinyin's face before pursing her lips slightly; she did not echo Deng Yinyin's sentiments like Xie Huai or He Min did.
Deng Yinyin's attitude towards her now mirrored how she had acted before entering the desert level—she seemed unaware of Xu Nuan's previous declarations. According to He Min and Xie Huai's explanations, when they three did not wait for her return and instead infiltrated the center of that town under cover of night, they were fortunate enough to avoid all zombies before leaving. However, just as they exited the town, Deng Yinyin suddenly fainted; when she regained consciousness later, she had no memory of what transpired there. Naturally, she wouldn’t remember what she saw while trapped in an illusion within that town.
Did she really forget everything?
Xu Nuan felt skeptical about this; yet Deng Yinyin appeared completely at ease and unchanged from her previous lively but careless self—adventurous yet fearful for her life.
He Min and Xie Huai each shared their perspectives on the matter. He Min believed that Deng Yinyin's loss of control and reckless words had inadvertently cleared Xu Nuan of the accusation of murdering Zhang Hui. Xu Nuan remained silent; to her, killing was killing, and she never expected to escape the judgment of law or conscience. Those were matters of the past and future; what she needed to focus on was the present.
Xie Huai specifically apologized to Deng Yinyin, but his words carried a different meaning. Xu Nuan accurately grasped what Xie Huai truly wanted to convey: since Deng Yinyin had not actually acted on her words, she had not harmed Xu Nuan, making it overly sentimental for Xu Nuan to dwell on the issue. Xu Nuan responded with a light laugh, sarcastically retorting without holding back.
She enjoyed silence because it allowed her time for calm reflection, but that did not mean she was weak. She had never been a pushover nor a delicate girl in need of constant protection. Observing Deng Yinyin's current behavior, it seemed that Xie Huai alone bore the brunt of sharp words.
With this thought in mind, Xu Nuan lifted her gaze toward Xie Huai, who happened to glance back at her. Xu Nuan's expression remained unchanged, while Xie Huai forced a smile before hurriedly averting his eyes.
The endless traps created a rift between them and led to a crisis of trust, which required an object of suspicion. Xu Nuan did not doubt Gu Ze for now, nor did she suspect Chi Xiaoming or even Xu Hang too much. However, she could not help but question Yu Yu, Xie Huai, and Deng Yinyin. As for He Min, after Yu Yu's appearance, he had not divided his attention among others, which made her harbor some doubts about him as well. She did not want those doubts to grow, so she paid extra attention to He Min in hopes of finding something amiss that could salvage their relationship.
She had long understood that this was a game where lovers, friends, and companions could betray one another, but it was also a game where love and friendship could be gained. She held onto a wish in her heart and hoped to make it come true amidst her busy life.
Thus, in the coming days, she needed to observe He Min and Yu Yu closely, a plan that received Gu Ze's approval. In fact, Xu Nuan found it remarkable that during the desert phase when everyone arrived at the Supply Station, Gu Ze only needed to glance at Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai to know something had transpired between them. At that moment, Xu Nuan felt somewhat uncomfortable; after all, Xie Huai and Deng Yinyin had been Gu Ze's colleagues for years. Although they were not in the same department, there were intersections in their work. Jealousy gnawed at her as she thought Gu Ze must have sensed something from their expressions. However, reality proved her thoughts wildly incorrect; long before she stumbled into Gu Ze's organization, he had already noticed something through her demeanor. Afterward, with just a glance at Xie Huai and Deng Yinyin, he pieced together most of the situation.
Xu Nuan could not forget the hostility and pressure emanating from Gu Ze after she roughly explained things to him. She worried for a while since Gu Ze’s relationship with Xu Hang was complicated by Xu Hang’s ties with Deng Yinyin. She was not soft-hearted; she simply believed that this team could not endure any more trauma.
Yet afterward, Gu Ze showed no unusual behavior; he only occasionally interacted with Xie Huai and Deng Yinyin in a neutral manner—no different from usual.
The unspoken intentions made things even more concerning for Xu Nuan as she hastily shifted her focus from He Min and Yu Yu back to Gu Ze.
At this point, the group had relaxed enough and began walking toward the more spacious Palm Grove. The Sago Palms towered high above them; their sword-like leaves reached upward while their canopies spread out like large umbrellas around them. Consequently, the main trunks appeared somewhat bare, accentuating the distance between the trees.
Compared to these towering trees, the group seemed like children who were completely at a disadvantage in height.
As usual, it was Gu Ze who chose the direction. Xu Hangming and the others navigated through the Forest for a while, gradually replacing the initial ease of entering this stage with irritation. Among them, only a few had patience and experience proportional to their expectations; the vast majority were unable to contain their excitement at seeing the numbers in Survival Game increase, eager for the rewards that came with successfully clearing the stage. Once excitement took hold, they became sensitive to the passage of time, wanting to clear the stage sooner, enjoy their earnings sooner, and meet important people sooner. Such thoughts continuously stimulated that part of the group, gradually altering the atmosphere.
Xu Nuan noticed the change in mood and saw the stiff expressions on her companions' faces. Understanding their feelings without showing it, she turned her gaze to Gu Ze, who was focused on a particular direction. Following Gu Ze's line of sight, she saw nothing but dense Cycad plants, even thicker than Sago Palms. The entire area was a rich green that made her feel slightly dizzy.
Typically, greenery would uplift one's spirits, but this time felt different. Xu Nuan wondered if it was just her psychological effect. She intended to ask Gu Ze about her feelings but was interrupted by a voice from the System.
This time, the mission broke the System's record for speed of announcement; they received it less than a thousand meters after leaving the Supply Station and entering this stage.
The System's voice still felt unsettling, yet most of the group was quite excited. Although the System's missions were designed to challenge Players, they knew that overcoming these challenges led to Special Trees and Supply Stations, which lifted their spirits from earlier gloom.
"This stage is called Love Forest," the System announced. "All Players must form pairs and choose a direction to walk out five Hundred Meters. After that, each team will have its own path to navigate. Each pair must complete the tasks along their chosen path; otherwise, they will never reach the Supply Station."
The group listened in confusion; did this mean they had to form couple teams?
Just as this thought began to take shape, the System added another note.
"Any two people can form a team; there are no restrictions on gender or team composition."
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